


Dreams of Provence

by zahrabane



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Angst, Battle Boyfriends, Fluff, Gay Fairytale, Light Smut, M/M, Magnus is a knight in shining armour, Magnus saves the day, Old french charms, Parabatai Feels, Provence, fairytale, magnus is prince charming, magnus saves Alec, prompt, with lots of feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-04 11:33:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12770175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zahrabane/pseuds/zahrabane
Summary: Alec is kidnapped and taken to a castle in the far away land of Provence, and must be rescued by his magical boyfriend. Sensual dreams, angst, fluff and maybe more ensue throughout as the brave, powerful, and highly annoyed Magnus Bane embarks on an epic journey to save his favourite Shadowhunter.





	1. Je me réveille seul

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the prompt: “Canon Malec Kidnap fic with allllll of the angst (and subsequent h/c)” by tumblr user accala1
> 
> This occurs somewhere around season 2b, timeline wise. 
> 
> Somehow this turned into a 4 chapter fairy tale featuring Magnus Bane as our knight in shining armour. Sorrynotsorry. I have it all outlined and mostly written so I'm hoping to do an update every weekend! 
> 
> Send me more prompts, I'm on a writing roll these days! I am zahrasletters on tumblr :)

_ Magnus was walking through a grand ballroom. He had been here before, but he had the feeling that a lot of time had passed since he was last inside this chateau’s walls. Soft music was playing, and Magnus hummed as he recognized Camille’s favourite song, feeling himself settle back in time at the memory of the music. He walked into a small room at the back like he always did in the mornings here, knowing where he would find Camille after a long night.  _

_ But when Magnus walked into the small stone room, it was not Camille he found. A tall raven haired Nephilim stood staring longingly out the window, shoulders slightly hunched in. His heart fluttered at the sight of the man, and he felt a warmth spread through him that he never felt before inside these walls.  _

_ Alexander.  _

_ Magnus was, at this point, very disoriented. The music of the ballroom faded away, and with it the heavy weight of the past that had clung to the chateau’s walls. Magnus let out a sigh of relief, realizing the lightness of heart that Alec had given him, so different than the sadness of his past.  _

_ Alec turned around at the sound of Magnus’ sigh, shoulders straightening as he took Magnus in.  _

_ “Thank goodness you found me,” Alec said by way of greeting.  _

_ “Found you?” If Alec hadn’t come to this chateau with Magnus, then how had he got here? Something wasn’t right, and Magnus struggled to recall the year, the time, the reason they were even in France. “Did you get lost?” _

_ Alec shook his head, looking at Magnus with confusion.  _

_ “We don’t have much time, we have to break the curse before she finds out you’re here,” Alec insisted. _

_ “The curse?”  _

_ “Isn’t that what you came to rescue me from?” Alec looked distressed now, his hand coming up to run through his hair, spiking it into further disarray. Magnus’ heart broke at the sight, and on instinct he wanted to do anything to relieve Alec’s sudden panic, even if he didn’t understand what was going on.  _

_ “Of course, of course.” Magnus was ready to step into the role of the knight in shining armour, like it was meant for him. “But how do I break it?” _

_ “Um.” Alec rose his eyebrows, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I need a kiss.” Magnus must have still looked confused because Alec clarified, “from you.” _

_ “Well I should hope you aren’t getting a kiss from anyone else,” Magnus quipped, and Alec seemed to take heart in Magnus’ answer, the comfort of his casual flirting. He gave Magnus a small smile, then looked over his shoulder furtively like he was expecting a demon to fly through the window before stepping forward purposefully and grabbing Magnus by the lapels of his jacket.  _

_ “I always knew you would come save me,” Alec whispered, and he leant down to kiss Magnus. As their lips met, Alec wasted no time in deepening the kiss, tongue easily sliding into Magnus’ mouth like he needed as much of Magnus as possible to sustain him. It felt like the first time all over again, and Alec kissed Magnus breathless until the background of the chateau melted away. He would have attributed this to the magic of kissing Alec if he hadn’t felt the ground shift beneath them as well. He broke the kiss to look up, seeing himself back inside the institute with Alec in his wedding suit. But this time there was no crowd surrounding them.  _

_ Magnus might have felt disoriented all over again, but Alec’s arms were strong and sure around him. His lips chased back after Alec’s seemingly of their own volition, like he was chasing the ending of a story. His surroundings faded again, but this time Magnus didn’t notice, slipping deeper and deeper into kissing Alec until it was all he was dreaming of.  _

***

Magnus Bane was not having a good day. He had gone to bed only to wake up and realize his boyfriend had never come home to bed, leaving him a little chilly in the morning and distinctively grouchy. One of Camille’s old favourite songs was stuck in his head for some reason, and the inkling of a strange dream he couldn’t quite bring to the surface of his memory lingered. As if that wasn’t all bad enough, when he went to call his boyfriend to ensure he hadn’t been eaten by a demon (there was little other excuse for standing up the High Warlock of Brooklyn), he was assaulted by a fire message. 

_ Who even sends those things in 2017?  _ he thought. 

The fire message was worse than just an outdated faux pas. It stated that Alec had been kidnapped and was being held, basically, for ransom, by none other than Iris Rouse. She seemed to have escaped the custody of the wholly incompetent Clave for the sole purpose of inconveniencing him on a Monday. 

To make matters worse, when he contacted the Clave to inform them of Alec’s kidnapping and the subsequent message from his kidnapper, he was left on hold for  _ hours  _ until he was informed that Victor Aldertree, freshly back from Idris, had summoned him to the Institute. In the span of those hours, Magnus had tried almost everything to track Alec, in between answering frantic texts from Alec's siblings who were understandably freaking out and sounded like they were being all but physically restrained from coming over to help Magnus. Unfortunately, Iris was an old warlock, and even he couldn’t break through her anti-tracking spells. Yet.

Magnus stepped into the Head of the Institute’s office - Alec’s office - to see Aldertree perched smugly behind the desk -  _ Alec’s desk,  _ Magnus thought bitterly.

“Ah, Magnus Bane,” said Aldertree, not bothering to get up. “My first and only interview.”

“Only?” 

“I think you’ll have all the answers I need,” Aldertree had a grin on his face, like this was going to be simple. Like he had not a care in the world, and the kidnapping of the head of the New York Institute was a mere amusement to him. “Now take a seat.”

“I’m fine.” Magnus preferred to be in a good position to launch a tirade of magic into Aldertree’s face if necessary. 

Aldertree finally got up, picking up his stele and running it through his fingers as he looked Magnus Bane up and down, as if considering his options. 

“I presume you know where Alec Lightwood is?” Aldertree finally asked.

“I know  _ whom _ he is with.” Magnus tried to refrain from rolling his eyes. The disappearance of his boyfriend had him in a bad enough mood already, and Victor Aldertree was not helping the situation. “As I told you, I received a fire message from Iris Rouse saying she had Alec and would exchange him for Madzie. If I knew  _ where  _ she had him, I wouldn’t be standing here having this asinine conversation with you.”

“Right. So if I’m getting this correct, you are refusing to trade in some tiny warlock for Alec Lightwood, distinguished warrior, head of the New York Institute and your supposed lover?”

“Surely the Clave isn’t suggesting we succumb to blackmail? Madzie is a  _ child. _ ”

“A warlock child,” Aldertree shrugged. “As well as an orphan, from what I understand. What does it matter which rogue warlock raises her?” 

“It’s going to matter if she’s raised in the wrong hands and becomes a future menace to the Clave.” Magnus tried to keep the menace out of his own voice with little success. 

“Fine. Then I officially appoint you as the sole person responsible for retrieving Alec Lightwood. You have 48 hours.” Aldertree fingered his stele, menace in his eyes. “Or there will be consequences.” 

Magnus was less worried about his own consequences than the consequences Alec might face in the captivity of a warlock who was on the loose from the Clave. He remembered the last time Alec had been subjected to Iris’ spells - that nearly fatal night at the party - and tried to suppress his visible shudder and the feeling of near hopelessness that was coming on. 

“Surely you can dedicate more resources to retrieving such a  _ distinguished warrior, _ ” Magnus argued.

“The way I see it, this is what a shadowhunter gets for getting involved with warlocks like you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have much to do as interim head of the Institute.”

Realization hit Magnus like O-neg hitting a vampire after a long night.

“You don’t want Alec to come back,” Magnus accused. “You want his position as head of the Institute.” 

“You are dismissed.” Aldertree didn’t even bother trying to deny it. “I expect Alec Lightwood back here within 48 hours or I will be bringing Madzie into the Institute.” 


	2. Le seul qui comprend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An exploration of the dynamics between Jace and Magnus, aka the two that love Alec the most in the world, featuring Aldertree, who is still evil. Parabatai FEELS. I’m also not *exactly* sure on how the parabatai rune tracking works (going off season 1, there was a way to do it without that stone?), so I may have taken some liberties here.

Aldertree was keeping Jace so busy in the absence of his parabatai that the shadowhunter was hard to track down, even for the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Eventually, Magnus got a text from Clary saying he was in his room, and Magnus rushed over. This task would be impossible without Jace. Iris Rouse was a strong warlock, and the parabatai rune was Magnus’ only hope of breaking through her anti-tracking wards. 

“Magnus!” Jace said. “Took you long enough to show up. Any news of Alec?”

Magnus cocked an eyebrow. “You haven’t exactly been easy to track down. And no.”

“I’m sorry. Aldertree has me and Izzy running around doing ridiculous tasks and I- I’m just - antsy without Alec here. I can tell he’s distressed - whenever he’s far from you I can practically  _ feel _ it - and this is worse - and he’s at such a distance - ”

Magnus felt an unexpected flash of sympathy for Jace. He walked over and put a comforting hand on Jace’s shoulder, hoping it would keep Jace from bouncing out of the room from the utter anxiety of the whole situation, the need to do  _ something _ . Jace was perhaps the only one who understood what Magnus was going through with Alec gone. Under the careful masks of confidence both men wore that allowed nothing more than shear annoyance to shine through at this situation, there was something else underneath that they shared with Alec gone.

“Hey,” Magnus assured him, “I will do everything in my power to find your parabatai.” 

“So you’ll help me parabatai track him then?” 

Magnus nodded, grateful he didn’t have to ask Jace for something so dangerous even though it was necessary. 

“You know the risks? You remember the pain when Alec tracked you?” Magnus wasn’t trying to be vindictive, he just wanted Jace as well prepared as possible. Shadowhunters were no stranger to pain, but exploring a rune as deeply a part of oneself as the parabatai rune was a pain different to the bruises and blood of fighting demons. Either way, Magnus didn’t know many parabatai that would forgo any amount of pain for the safety of the other warrior that shared their soul, which Magnus supposed was perhaps at least partially the point of the bond. 

Jace nodded solemnly. “Anything to get Alec back.”

“The sooner the better,” Magnus agreed.

“Besides, I don’t think this will be quite as bad. I can still  _ feel  _ Alec through our bond, he’s just really far away.”

“Even so, I will be here to help you manage the pain. Whenever you’re ready lay down and we can begin.” 

“Let me just grab my stele.

***

Jace was laid out on the bed, blonde hair a halo around his head as he closed his eyes and drifted his stele over his parabatai rune. Magnus had begun feeding him small bits of magic, allowing him to get used to the sensation so it didn’t shock him when he had to pour more into him as the pain of cutting into his parabatai rune increased. Magnus was familiar with the matching parabatai rune on Alec’s body, though truth be told he didn’t usually trace that rune with his fingertips as he did the others on Alec’s body when they laid in bed together, relaxed and satiated. Magnus found the angelic runes decorating Alec’s skin fascinating, beautiful, and, surprisingly, sexy, but something about the parabatai rune was almost too intimate for Magnus to touch. He almost felt like he’d be touching a part of Jace if he touched that rune, and he almost suspected Jace would feel it. Jace seemed to be able to feel a little too much of their relationship as it was. 

It was strange, being in this room with just Jace, with no Alec in between. But Jace and Magnus were probably the two who loved Alec most in the world, and it was only right that they should be together in this moment. Magnus wondered vaguely if this was to be his relationship with Jace - brought together over concern for Alec. Jace was a constant presence these days, unassumingly always a part of Alec’s, and, by extension, Magnus’ life. But with Alec gone, Magnus was forced to looking past the unassuming consistency of Jace’s presence in their lives, and see the reasons behind the loyalty the two men shared. 

Magnus could see, in some ways, why Alec had attracted both him and Jace in their lives. Magnus and Jace were both confident enough to draw out the best side of Alec despite his hestiance. Their imagination (and willingness to bend the rules) combined perfectly with Alec’s drive to get things done, thoroughly and righteously. And they both needed Alec too, in a way. He was a voice of reason, but also an unwavering, open-hearted stability in two lives that had been ravaged by uncertainty and the loss of those supposed to love you most. 

Magnus was pulled from his thoughts by a sudden gasp from Jace. 

“ _ Alec!”  _ Jace hissed, and then he cried out, fingernails digging deep enough into his rune to draw blood, stele dropping onto the floor. Magnus poured magic into him, feeling a little helpless. 

“Stay with me, Jace,” Magnus said. “Remember not to go to deep.” 

“Alec -” 

“Can you see him?” 

“I- I’m here, Alec.”

“Jace, you need to come back,” Magnus urged, sending a small shockwave through Jace to try to bring him back to reality. Jace gasped again and then his fingers slipped off his parabatai rune, his body tensing up before relaxing again. He opened his eyes, but he looked even more wild-eyed than usual. 

“Jace, were you able to see him?” 

“Yeah I - it’s weird, I could see  _ through his eyes _ . Even though he’s so far away.” 

“Tracking through a parabatai rune is likely intense for that reason - your soul physically leaving your body to join its other part. Do you feel like you’ve all - ah - come back?” 

“Yeah. I can still feel him though. He’s far, and there’s something in between us, like a giant expanse of water. Not like the river, maybe an Ocean?”

Magnus felt his heart sink a little. “Across an Ocean” wasn’t the most descriptive term. 

“Anything else that could help us?” He tried to keep his voice gentle and not let the notes of panic through. 

“The room he’s in.” Jace closed his eyes, as if trying to bring back a dream. “It’s completely stone, I could feel it. But it’s warm, and the walls are decorated. The stones are giant, and on them there’s these tapestries, and one had - your face?” 

Magnus felt a sudden flash of the dream he had forgotten this morning, of stone walls inside the old chateau. 

“ _ Provence, _ ” he realised. He wasn’t particularly skilled at divination, but something about that dream unsettled him. He remembered now, walking into a room at the back, expecting Camille and finding instead Alec. 

“Sorry?”  

“I think I know where Iris has Alexander,” Magnus explained. “There’s an old warlock chateau in the south of France. I dreamed of it last night, but didn’t remember until now. Of course Iris would be there, she loved that place.” 

“Bit too predictable, isn’t it?”  

“Perhaps, but perhaps she wants to be found in order to get what she wants.” 

“Well we’re about to go get Alec, whether she thinks she’s getting something out of it or not,” Jace said, the fierce determination back in his eyes. 

“I couldn’t agree more.” 

Jace reached down to pick up his stele, swinging his legs off the bed. However, he still looked a bit unsteady, and he stumbled as he got up.

“You can stay here if you want,” Magnus said. “Parabatai tracking likely took a lot out  of

you.”

“No way. I need to help find Alec, and I might be able to locate him more exactly when we’re there.” 

Magnus nodded, accepting that this was something Jace couldn’t comfortably sit out. 

“In that case, if you’re ready, let’s head outside to portal.” 

“I’m ready, Bane.” The two men exited the room, running into Magnus’ new second least favourite person, directly after Iris Rouse. 

“Jace,” Aldertree acknowledged, completely ignoring Magnus. “I thought I assigned you to the weapons room for the next 8 hours.”

“You did,” Jace admitted. “But Magnus and I have a lead on Alec’s whereabout to follow up on.”

“Magnus Bane is the sole being authorized for the retrieval of Alec Lightwood,” Aldertree said. “I did not authorize any shadowhunters for additional backup.”

“But he’s my  _ parabatai _ ,” Jace argued. “You can’t expect me to just sit around a weapons room waiting for him to return, I took an angelic vow.”

“Insubordination,” Aldertree reminded him, “is grounds for de-runing. And that, Mr. Herondale, would mean a lot more permanent loss of your parabatai.”

It was a low blow, even for Aldertree, and had Magnus not been in a rush he might have blasted Aldertree down then and there. But cleaning up that mess would take time, and time was not on Magnus’ side. Now that he knew where Alec was, he had to portal to him as soon as possible. 

“Don’t worry,” Magnus told Jace, looking him straight in his mismatched eyes. “I swear on my father’s grave I will have Alexander back here by tomorrow. 

Aldertree, to Magnus’ satisfaction, looked downright alarmed at Magnus swearing on a greater demon in the walls of the Institute. But Jace, who had perhaps skipped the reading on the lineage of the High Warlock of Brooklyn, merely nodded. 

“I trust you.” Jace clapped Magnus’ shoulder, surprising him. “See you soon.” 

Magnus nodded back, stepping off to make a portal, not trusting himself to speak and maintain his façade in the Institute. The combination of losing his boyfriend and the unexpected love and assurance from his boyfriend’s closest family member was making for a downright emotional day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Alec Lightwood, back on the scene, courtesy of Magnus Bane, our hero.
> 
> Find me on tumblr as zahrabane :)


	3. Des vieux charmes français

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus is on a mission to get Alec back home, ASAP. It's battle boyfriends time.

Magnus knew exactly where the room Jace had described was. The stone walls with their ancient tapestries belonged to an old warlock Chateau he had often brought Camille to when he lived in Europe. When he portalled into the warm air of Provence, he shivered at the memories of Camille’s cold skin against his. Dusk had already fallen here, and in the old days as the brilliant landscape of Provence became blurry with starlight he would have been just opening the first of many bottles of wine. But the warmth here did nothing for him now, the distinct sweet smell of Provence brought served only to make him feel out of place and missing the grit of New York City.

It was almost cruel of Iris to make him come here again, but perhaps being immortal made you sentimental. He always knew Iris had a liking to this place - how many dinner parties had they had here, Iris showing off her french charms she had learned from local warlocks and Magnus being too distracted by Camille to notice. It seemed like a different life, and Magnus just wanted to pull Alexander out from the midst of his past so they could go back to the bustling streets of New York and hide behind the walls of his loft. It had been a long day, and Magnus just wanted to go home. But home was not home without Alec and so Magnus trudged on towards the Chateau. 

Magnus slipped past Iris’ wards, grateful that some ancient warlock of yonder had enchanted the place so that no other warlocks could be kept out. This place had once been a haven, a safe space for downworlders in times when the Accords didn’t exist. Magnus marveled at how much things had changed, that he was now approaching this place where he had so many memories to save a Shadowhunter from his own people. This entire day was proving to be a bit much for him, and he resolved to stop overthinking these things until he had Alexander safely back in his arms. 

Magnus stalked through the halls of the chateau. He had a hunch Alec was in the room behind the ballroom, just like his dream. He wasn’t wrong. He walked quickly through the ballroom, and burst through the door. Alec was pacing near the window and Magnus sighed in the absolute relief of seeing him, alive and relatively unharmed. 

Alec’s head snapped up at the intrusion, and his shadowhunter reflexes caused his body to tense up before he recognized who was at the door and he visibly relaxed. 

“Magnus,” he said. “You came for me.”

“Of course I did.” Magnus immediately walked over to him. He scanned Alec’s body quickly, looking for any signs of injury. 

Upon inspection, Alec looked physically okay. However, something in his face reminded Magnus of the way Alec had looked when they first met. All tall dark and handsome with a permanent expression of seriousness and the look of a man who was constantly trapped in a situation he didn’t want to be in. But then Alec looked into Magnus’ eyes, and Magnus saw that hint of hope spark beneath the sombre hazel of Alec’s eyes. After such a separation and such a journey, it was like being introduced to Alec for this first time all over again. Better though, because this time he knew the story would end with them together, home at last. 

“Oh Alexander.” Magnus reached up to touch Alec’s cheek. “I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you too.” Alec leaned into Magnus’ hand tiredly and closed his eyes. 

“What do you say we get out of here?” Magnus suggested. “Perhaps before we have to have a run in with Iris.”

Alec’s eyes opened at this, and he gave Magnus a sad look. “Iris put some kind of curse on me. I can’t leave this room, trust me, I’ve tried.”

Magnus groaned. Of course it couldn’t be that easy, or Alec would’ve been out of here already and they would be sipping wine on Magnus’ couch, plotting the demise of Aldertree. He stepped back from Alec and rolled up his sleeves, drawing his magic up from the surface. 

“I’ll get you out of here,” Magnus vowed. 

“I know.”

“I’m going to start with a scan of your body to determine what spell Iris has cast on you. It might feel a bit intrusive but I’ll try to be quick.”

Alec nodded and stood straight up, soldier-pose, closing his eyes and waiting for Magnus to begin. Magnus let his magic spiral out from his hands, wisping around Alec and searching for a hint of something foreign on him. It was fairly easy because he was so familiar with Alec’s aura, and he quickly found Iris’s mark. It was an old captivity charm that prevented Alec’s matter from passing through the bounds of the room. 

“All done.” Magnus broke the connection and drew his magic back into himself. “You good, Alexander?” Alec opened his eyes and stepped forward, coming back into Magnus’ space and giving him a small smile. 

“Yeah. Your magic doesn’t feel intrusive at all. It feels… familiar.” Magnus reached out for Alec’s hand, feeling his heart swell. 

“I’m glad.”  _ Glad _ didn’t really sum it up though. Something inside him felt warm at the thought of Alec being so familiar, so  _ comfortable _ with, his magic. “Now do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

“Just - both.” 

“Okay well the good news is that I know exactly what kind of charm this is. It’s very old but fairly simple, and traps you in this room like a lock and key is keeping you in. The charm is the lock, and as for the key, well….”

“That’s the bad news? You don’t know what the key is?” 

“Precisely,” Magnus nodded. “The problem is that it could be anything, on the whim of Iris. So unfortunately, we may have to find her to get it undone.” 

“Maybe we could try to think of what it is.” Alec ran his hand through his hair.  “There has to be something - some sort of clue.” 

Magnus recalled his dream again, of kissing Alec to break some curse and being completely lost in the feeling of Alec’s lips against his. He thought it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try. The dream had been right before, so why not now?

“There is one idea I have,” Magnus suggested.

“Yeah?” 

“A kiss, to break the curse.”

Alec’s eyebrows shot up. He looked some bizarre combination of amused and incredulous. 

“Even at a time like this,” he mused, “Magnus Bane is flirting with me.”

“No I had a - dream of sorts - anyways, one kiss won’t hurt.” 

“I wouldn’t complain.” Alec reached down to take Magnus into his arms, bringing his lips to the other man’s. Magnus had intended to give Alec one short, sweet kiss, nothing like the full-on passionate make out session that he remembered from last night. He suspected that had just been his imagination run wild. But Alec’s arms were all-encompassing around him, and once their lips touched Magnus was entirely consumed with finally being able to feel Alec again after such a long day. He stood on his tippy toes to get closer, pressing his body into Alec’s as his tongue traced the seam of Alec’s lips. Alec let him in like it was the easiest thing in the world, and Magnus fell into him, body and soul. Alec’s lips were dry and his body was not as strong against Magnus’ as usual, but he kissed Magnus back with his same determination, giving him his all. Alec Lightwood was really an all-or-nothing kind of guy, and Magnus relished in it, taking Alec for all he had. 

There was a tapping on the open door and Magnus broke away from his boyfriend in extreme annoyance. Alec, who seemed not to have heard the knock, chased after his boyfriend’s lips blindly. But the sight of the chateau walls brought Magnus back to reality quickly and he stepped away, turning to face Iris. She was standing in the doorway wearing an unreadable expression. 

“Iris, Iris, Iris,” Magnus chided. “ _ Qu’est-ce que vous avez fait? _ ”

Iris ignored him. “Where’s Madzie?” 

“Madzie?” Alec asked. 

“Oh please,” Iris huffed. “You can’t think I went to all the trouble of kidnapping you just to annoy the Clave.” 

“Madzie is not getting involved in this,” Magnus stated firmly. 

Iris sighed. “I’ve been dealing with you far too much lately, Bane.”

Magnus rolled his eyes. “And you think kidnapping _my boyfriend_ would keep me away?”  
Iris shot Alec a disdainful look. “Your _petit ami_ isn’t exactly great company anyways Magnus. That boy can glare for _days._ ”

Alec looked, if possible, even more done with the situation. 

“We aren’t giving you Madzie,” Alec affirmed. “And I suggest you let us go, before the

Clave-”

“The Clave will never be able to access this place.” Iris waved a hand dismissively. “I went after you to get Madzie, which is something only the warlock who so foolishly chased after you can give me. I mean really Magnus,  _ a nephilim _ ? That’s a weakness I never thought I’d be able to exploit until I saw that shadowhunter party you threw in your loft.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Magnus sounded more offhand than the situation really called for. “Times have changed, Iris.” 

“Clearly.” Iris was getting annoyed, and Magnus could feel it in the magical energy of the room around him. “You aren’t even standing with your own people anymore.” 

“Not when they resort to kidnapping,” Magnus shot back. “Now if you’ll excuse us we need to be on our way.”

“That isn’t possible.” Iris sounded positively gleeful about it.  “I’m sure you noticed the charm I’ve put the shadowhunter. If Madzie isn’t here, then you don’t have the key to break it. So I suggest you go get her before your boyfriend becomes a permanent resident.”

“Guess the kiss didn’t break the curse,” Magnus sighed dramatically. 

“This isn’t some  _ fairytale, _ ” Iris hissed. “God Magnus, you may be a powerful warlock but love has always made you the most ridiculous of men.” 

“Let us go, Iris,” Magnus urged. “And I won’t turn you into the Clave.” 

“Turning your own people in, now, I’m not surprised,” Iris said. 

“Kidnapping someone’s boyfriend will lead them to drastic measures,” Magnus threatened, and he began gathering his magic back up. He felt it spark in beneath his fingertips, indignant and ready to break them out of here. Iris did likewise. 

“I may be ridiculous, but I also happen to be the most powerful warlock in the western hemisphere.” Magnus had never fought Iris before, but he didn’t think she had many skills on the battlefield, preferring to focus her powers on other matters. Magnus was still weary though, because she knew he could fight and he doubted she would have drawn him here if she thought he could defeat her easily. 

“This is your last chance to break the curse on Alec and just let us go,” Magnus warned. 

Iris responded by unleashing a torrent of magic towards Magnus and Alec, and Magnus just had time to block it. He unleashed a stream back, meaning to entrap her, but his was spun in a bizzare direction by some unseen force and he realized what Iris’ trick must be. 

The whole room was enchanted, filled with charms to prevent others’ battle magic from hitting their target. Magnus had to get her out of the room before one of his curses rebounded onto the unarmed Alec. Luckily Iris was standing near the door and Magnus moved to push her farther outside into the ballroom so they could properly battle when a dark shape flew past him. 

It was Alec, moving his body in a way Magnus might have previously deemed impossible with no angelic runes active, hurling himself towards Iris and attempting to take her down with brute force. 

Alec succeeded - partially. He brought Iris down, but in doing so he must have attempted to traverse the boundaries of the room because the moment his body came close to the door he went flying back into the room and Iris went flying out of it. This situation worked perfectly for Magnus and he ran out of the room behind her, ignoring Alec’s call.

Iris was already back up by the time Magnus made it out of the room, and she was pushing magic at him to try and force him back in the room. But out here, Magnus had the upper hand, and he jumped past her waves of energy as he cast a spell that trapped her flat against the wall, arms pinned up above her head so she couldn’t cast any more spells.

Iris looked furious. 

“So what now, Magnus?” she taunted. “Going to turn me into the Clave like you did to Camille?”

“Reverse the curse, Iris,” Magnus demanded. “You have tested my patience enough for one day and there is no way you’re getting out of here.” 

Magnus gave Iris his most threatening look, and maybe she thought it best not to test him anymore, because she began muttering in old french, unweaving the curse she had set on Alec. 

When she finished, Magnus called out “Alexander!”, not trusting Iris to have really undone her work so easily. 

“It is done,” Iris stated. “You can be on your way.” 

Alec walked out into the ballroom just as Magnus was binding Iris’ hands and sending her through a portal straight to the Clave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Can't wait to get the last chapter up! Come find me on tumblr as zahrabane :)


	4. Tu m’as manqué

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone missed Alec a lot even though he was barely gone. 
> 
> This chapter is just a mess of feelings and a bit of a sexytime fairytale ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on tumblr as @zahrabane ASAP because now I’m out of prompts!! SOS!!
> 
> PS unbeta’d (aside from my own obsessive rereads) but if anyone volunteers to be my future beta, again, hit me up on the tumblr like ASAP!

Alec had been out of the portal for no more than 30 seconds when Jace barrelled out of the Institute doors, Izzy close at his heels. They both attacked him in a hug, and Alec might have fallen over if it hadn’t been for Magnus’ steady hand on the small of his back. The sight of Alec reconnecting with his family made him smile. The Lightwood’s joy was infectious. It was easy to get lost in it, especially when Izzy finally let go of her brother and caught Magnus in a giant hug as well. 

“Thank you,” she said, letting go and giving Magnus a wide smile. 

Jace nodded in agreement. “Thanks man.”

He clapped Alec on the shoulder. “Glad to have you back buddy. Not the same around here without you.”

Alec laughed, and Magnus noticed his features lighten, his whole body more relaxed now that he was home and surrounded by his boyfriend, parabatai, and sister. “I’ve only been gone a day, but I’m surprised you haven’t managed to burn the place down yet.”

“Oh don’t worry.” Jace’s tone did not match his words. “They brought someone in to take care of things when you were gone.”

“A Clave representative?” Alec asked, as he opened up the door to the Institute. Before Jace or Izzy could answer Alec caught sight of Aldertree. He was  standing in the foyer, arms crossed and looking far less excited to see Alec than Jace and Izzy had been. 

“Alec Lightwood,” he greeted. “Welcome back.” 

“Glad to be back,” Alec responded. 

“Warlock Bane,” Aldertree addressed Magnus, “it appears your services are no longer need. You are dismissed from the Institute.” 

Magnus noticed Alec’s fists clenching at Aldertree’s blatant disrespect. 

“I’m sorry did you think  _ my services _ were free?” If Aldertree was going to disrespect him, Magnus wasn’t going to make this any easier than it needed to be. “I’m afraid if you want to dismiss me you’ll have to pay me first. I don’t just go around rescuing your Heads of Institute for fun you know.” 

“We had an agreement.” Aldertree stared at him easily, like he really thought he was going to win this one. “And I don’t believe you didn’t have any ulterior motives in this situation.” 

“Regardless,” Alec interjected. “ He stays. You are dismissed back to Idris.” 

“Very well,” Aldertree conceded. “But I will tell the Clave to expect your report on this situation no later than Friday morning. This was a very suspicious situation and it  _ will  _ be investigated.” 

“Why don’t we go discuss my payment at home?” Magnus whispered in Alec’s ear. 

Alec smiled. “I’m sure we can come to a mutually agreeable price over dinner.” 

“That’s just what I was thinking.” Magnus grabbed Alec’s hand and tugged him towards the door of the Institute.

“I’ll be back tomorrow to get a report of what I missed while I was gone,” Alec called over his shoulder to Izzy and Jace. Jace shook his head ruefully and Izzy winked at him.

“I’ll expect a  _ full  _ report from you, too,” Izzy teased, and Alec rolled his eyes as he followed his boyfriend out of the Institute and back home to the safety of the loft. 

When they stepped out of the portal, Magnus felt relief wash over him. The loft felt so much more right with Alec in it. All that remained to do today was summon up some dinner before they headed to bed for a much need peaceful sleep sleep. 

•••

Magnus woke up slowly, feeling warm and safe and unwilling to let his mind slip away from his dreams - this morning there was no horror or mystery or past weighing him down into sleep. Instead he was dreaming of warm skin and hazel eyes and messy black hair and the softest touch running along his cheekbone…

Magnus opened his eyes and realized the touch wasn’t a dream. He blinked as he took in reality, which was even better. Alec lay on his side watching Magnus wake up with a thoughtful expression on his face. His fingers drifted feather-light over Magnus’ face in reverence. Magnus leant easily into the touch. Today was starting out  _ much _ better than yesterday. 

“Morning.” Magnus scooted closer to Alec and sunk happily back down. 

“Morning.” Alec sounded distracted, reaching up to card his fingers through Magnus’ hair. Magnus shifted so he could look up at Alec’s face. His eyes were far away and unfocused. 

“What’s on your mind, Alexander?” 

“Provence.” Alec flickered across Alec’s features. “That’s where I was, right?”

“Yes,” Magnus said. “Iris has always had quite a thing for the south of France.”

Alec seemed disinterested in Iris, however. 

“Did you?” Alec asked. 

“Sorry?”

“Did you used to live there?” Alec clarified. “There was this tapestry there with you and, uh, Camille on it.”

“Oh.” Magnus tried to refrain from stiffening in Alec’s arms at the mention of Camille. “No. I used to live in Paris but Camille and I visited that warlock chateau often. It was a sort of downworlder safe haven to throw parties and such.”

Saying “Camille and I” in front of Alec felt all sorts of wrong. But he was resolved to be honest with Alec. Alec had been thrown unknowingly straight into Magnus’ past, and Magnus didn’t blame him for having questions, as much as it made him uncomfortable. 

“Your life has changed so much,” Alec mused. “It must be difficult to turn people from you past into the Clave.” He stated this simply, matter-of-factly with no hint of judgement in his voice, and Magnus felt his heart swell at Alec’s ability to sympathize with something that was so many centuries beyond his mental comprehension. 

So Magnus let himself be vulnerable, here where he finally felt warm and safe and loved. 

“It is one of the most difficult things I have ever done,” he confessed. 

Alec moved  his hands lower to stroke Magnus’ back, running soothing circles over Magnus’ shoulder blades. “You can talk to me about it if it helps.” Alec dropeed a kiss into Magnus’ hair. 

“I don’t know how to describe it really. It’s like - when you’re immortal you get used to losing people. It’s constant, and the pain is always there. But even so, there are some - other downworlders - you can comfort yourself with by telling yourself they’ll always be there - that they understand - ” Magnus buried himself in Alec’s neck, taking a steadying breath. 

“And now you’re finding out you can’t count on them.”

Magnus nodded. “We had just been through so much together, before. The Clave, demon attacks, heartbreak….” he trailed off, letting Alec’s soothing fingers anchor him into the present. 

“I’m sorry I keep coming in between you and your people.” He sounded so contrite about it that Magnus’ heart shattered, and he lifted his head in surprise. 

“Alexander, you can’t possibly be apologizing to me for getting kidnapped. That, if anything, was my fault, and what you just had to endure….”

Alec shrugged. “Honestly, I’ve had worse days at the Institute. Besides, I got to be rescued by the dashing High Warlock of Brooklyn.” Amusement was thick in Alec’s voice now, shifting the mood like he knew Magnus needed to be brought back to them and their bed. Magnus was so relieved that Alec wasn’t traumatized that it took him a moment to process what he had said. 

“Y _ ou liked it! _ ” Magnus accused. “You, Alexander Gideon Lightwood, head of the New York Institute, enjoyed being rescued by me.”

Alec blushed but didn’t deny it. “You were very charming and, uh, magical.” 

“And dashing?” Magnus wiggled his eyebrows obscenely. 

“Very dashing,” Alec all but growled, and he flipped Magnus over so that he was hovering over him. 

Before Alec had even kissed him, Magnus accidentally let out a moan at the hard lines of want that were suddenly pressing into every reachable part of his body. Alec quickly silenced the moan with a kiss, and suddenly Magnus’ hands were all over Alec, skimming up his back, one running through his hair while the other drifted lower and lower until it reach the perfect curve of his ass. 

Magnus was infinitely grateful that Alec had been too tired to put pajama pants on last night, and he gripped on to his ass like it could anchor him to Alec’s solid body as his mind was floating up and away when Alec’s tongue brushed his. Alec let out a moan at the feel of Magnus’ fingernails nearly ripping through the fabric of his boxers, and Magnus took the opportunity of the broken kiss to move his lips along Alec’s jaw until he was sucking on his neck. Alec moaned even louder into Magnus’ hair and the sound made Magnus so hard he decided things needed to progress  _ now.  _ He tugged at the t-shirt Alec was wearing, pulling it up until Alec got the hint and leaned upwards to pull it off. Magnus’ lips chased Alec’s neck up, and next thing he knew he was pushing Alec down onto his back on the other side of the bed and climbing over to straddle him. Alec blinked up at him, eyes raking down Magnus’ body and pupils blown wide with lust. 

“If I’m your Prince Charming, coming to your rescue,” Magnus asked, grinding his hips forward so that their erections just brushed, “shouldn’t I be ravishing you?”

Alec rolled his hips up into Magnus and groaned, hands wrapping around Magnus’ waist to pull him in for a searing kiss. It was all teeth and tongue and unbearable  _ want _ , and Magnus took control, tongue through Alec’s mouth until Alec was thoroughly breathless and he broke off to give Alec’s body some much needed attention. Magnus started with Alec’s ears, kissing and tugging at the lobe like he knew drove Alec crazy, and he was rewarded when he Alec try to grind into him, and he felt Alec’s large hands gripping his back as he felt him let out a ragged breath. 

“Uhhhh Magnus,” Alec groaned, tugging at Magnus’ hair as Magnus moved to kiss down Alec’s neck and onto his chest. “Please just fuck me.”

“How romantic,” Magnus commented as he came back up to brush his lips against Alec’s. 

“Thought you said you wanted to ravish me,” Alec murmured against his lips. 

“Hmmm, I do.” Magnus let his hand roam back down as Alec pressed another sweet kiss into his lips. “Tu m’as manqué, mon Alexander.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for joining me on this fairytale adventure that was my first multi chapter fic!!


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